Direct observation of tip shapes by atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been achieved using spike-like crystallites in ZnO thin films deposited on microscope glass slides by the hydrothermal deposition technique. Three types of AFM tips, e.g. standard Si3N4 tips, a broken silicon supertip and a noncontact silicon tip were examined and the acquired images for these tips show that ZnO crystallites are good samples to image commonly used AFM tips. The most obvious characteristic of this method is that it is easy for every chemical laboratory to access.